Seconds in a day: 24 x 60 x 60 = 86400
It is fair to assume that all seven billion people pray once a day = 810,185 prayers every second.
Some prayers will conflict -> “Send rain” – “Keep it fine.” A decision has to be made.

People complain that this is far too many prayers to cope with – some say angels help. They are wrong, there is no biblical support for this. Catlix say Mary relays these messages – well, I know women can talk but even that is going some. So we can dismiss this.

God does it – your computer can do it, so God certainly can.

God has a plan.
If the prayer agrees with the plan, it is granted but it would have happened anyway.
If the prayer agrees with the plan but not just at the moment, it is delayed until it is the immediate plan.
If the prayer conflicts with the plan it is rejected/ignored.

Present Prayers:

We pray for hundreds of things to happen in the present and we note that they are, most all of them, granted, but the really big prayers for the present are rare: only those of the greatest faith even attempt them:

[In a bedroom of a house in which the son is in the final hours of a fatal illness]
Mother: “I pray that my son be restored to health.”
Son: [shouting from the other room] “Mother! I have never felt so well in my life! Where are my clothes? I need to repair my car.”

This is a miracle. It is a direct demonstration of God’s Power. It is exceptionally rare unless you attend Landover’s Services of Healing when Pastor Zeke gets into full flow. In one remarkable session in August 2010, the Godly Pastor raised three people from the dead – four if you count the one who had been knocked unconscious in the rush but was pronounced dead.... but I digress (albeit with justification.)

The Past Prayer I:

Usually, the prayer must be for something that has not yet happened because although prayers may require that physical laws are defied, some say they may not defy time. In the Atacama Desert “Make it rain tomorrow.” is a valid prayer but “Make it so that it did not rain yesterday.” is an invalid prayer. (It doesn’t rain in the Atacama, so that is just an example – you get my drift.)

You see how I wrote some say there? Listen up!

Past prayers are valid and this is how they work:
A: “I pray that it had not rained yesterday.”
B: “It did not rain yesterday, you are thinking of the day before.”

The effect of the prayer was either (i) to remove a delusion from the person praying or (ii) create a delusion in everyone else. (ii) is more difficult, especially if yesterday’s rain were torrential and caused damage and death. We see (i) as common, yet we cannot know if (ii) is a regular occurrence.

However, some theologians claim that the reason that there can be no real “past prayer” is that the past is the history of God’s plan – it is perfect, and therefore should not, and cannot, be changed.

They forget the obvious: Although we think we are experiencing “God’s Perfect Plan” – If our brains are sent a new message from God, then that message becomes “God’s Perfect Plan” and what we thought was reality was a delusion.

The Past Prayer II:

Prayers are nevertheless said for a past event, the outcome of which is not known:

“I pray that my wife has survived the hurricane that has just torn through the town which she was visiting.”

Like Schrödinger’s cat, before news reaches the praying husband, his wife is in a state of superposition – both alive and dead and remains so until, for the husband, the probability wave collapses. However, for those who know the state of the wife when the prayer is said* there is either no need to pray (she is alive) or no point (she is dead.)

Such a prayer is not really a prayer, it is simply a malformed request to God to let you know the outcome – which He does in the usual way – a telephone call from the police.

I hope this has helped.

* The probability wave has already collapsed for them.

Ec:7:16: Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

Thank you, Pastor, for this very insightful look into just how prayer works. It's amazing to me to see atheists harp on and on about God not answering prayer, God not fixing things, or God not caring enough to be involved, yadda yadda yadda. This explanation completely answers the questions any thinking person might have about the issue, and I pray the LORD will bring many seekers here so they can finally find Peace.

Hello, my name is Mary. I hope to fellowship with you! That is, unless you don't listen to church authority (Deuteronomy 17:12); are a witch (Exodus 22:17); are a homosexual (Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:24-32); or fortuneteller (Leviticus 20:27) or a snotty kid who hits their dad (Exodus 21:15); or curses their parents (Proverbs 20:20; Leviticus 20:9); an adulterer (Leviticus 20:10); a non-Christian (Exodus 22:19; Deuteronomy 13:7-12; Deuteronomy 17:2-5;Romans 1:24-32); an atheist (2 Chronicles 15:12-13); or false prophet (Zechariah 13:3); from the town of one who worships another, false god (Deuteronomy 13:13-19); were a non-virgin bride (Deuteronomy 22:20-21); or blasphemer (Leviticus 24:10-16), as God calls for your execution and will no doubt send you to Hell, and I have no interest developing a friendship with the Spiritually Walking Dead.

Thank you for this explanation. Matthew 21:22 tells us that God answers all prayers of those who truly believe, so when I prayed for Obama not to be our president, and Obama became our president, I concluded that I wasn't believing hard enough. I quadrupled my efforts to please Jesus even though Romans 3:10 tells us nothing we do is ever good enough for God.

Now I understand that my problem wasn't lack of believe but wrong timing. I should have prayed in 1961 for Obama to never have been born. Since I neglected to do that it now is my fault, not God's, that Obama is our president.

To most "Christians" The Bible is like a license agreement. They just scroll to the bottom and click "I agree". All those "Christians" will burn in Hell! James 2:10 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

I should have prayed in 1961 for Obama to never have been born. Since I neglected to do that it now is my fault, not God's, that Obama is our president.

No!

It would have been a mistake to not have Obama as the president - you will recall the Prophets of Old who foretold disaster (famine, plague, servitude, etc.) to the people if Israel should they do the wrong thing?

Well this is the same - You are a True Christian™ and, as such are not wrong. You were merely following (albeit through Faith Alone) God's plan, which was to give the US Obama as a president, just to show how terrible it would be - and it was terrible!

Now we have Mr Trump as a reward for behaving well and this is in line with God's plan.

Quote:

Time to beg Jesus for forgiveness, again.

This is not necessary for you, you did the right thing and second-guessed what God wanted because you are "spiritually high."

Ec:7:16: Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

It would have been a mistake to not have Obama as the president - you will recall the Prophets of Old who foretold disaster (famine, plague, servitude, etc.) to the people if Israel should they do the wrong thing?

Well this is the same - You are a True Christian™ and, as such are not wrong. You were merely following (albeit through Faith Alone) God's plan, which was to give the US Obama as a president, just to show how terrible it would be - and it was terrible!

Now we have Mr Trump as a reward for behaving well and this is in line with God's plan.

. . .

Amen Brother Bathfire - Obama was God's "Angel of Death" for the Democrats, almost like out of the Old Testament where God's chosen were being freed from the Pharaoh. Obama was indeed "Hope and Change" - just not in the way the Democrats hoped. "Democrats lost a total of 1,042 seats at the state and federal level, including congressional and state legislative seats, governorships, and the presidency."

Quote:

Democrats lost over 1,000 seats under Obama
Published December 27, 2016 - Fox News

. . .

The Democratic Party suffered huge losses at every level during Obama’s West Wing tenure.

The grand total: a net loss of 1,042 state and federal Democratic posts, including congressional and state legislative seats, governorships and the presidency.

The latter was perhaps the most profound example of Obama's popularity failing to translate to support for his allies. Hillary Clinton, who served as secretary of state under Obama, brought the first family out for numerous campaign appearances. In September, Obama declared that his “legacy’s on the ballot.”

Now we have Mr Trump as a reward for behaving well and this is in line with God's plan.

You are, of course, very right (and righteous) brother Bathfire.

For 8 years I have suffered through Obama. Then Satan scared me over and over again with polls predicting Hillary Clinton would win the elections.

Each and every day I begged Jesus for forgiveness for not praying hard enough to prevent Obama from being our president.

And then God send Trump. The white all American Christian Republican billionaire everyone can relate to. His humble superiority combined with being too smart for daily intelligence briefings and his utter disgust for breastfeeding women makes him the most perfect president ever created by God.

To most "Christians" The Bible is like a license agreement. They just scroll to the bottom and click "I agree". All those "Christians" will burn in Hell! James 2:10 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."